Dave-G

Now then.
Since all of you New Zealanders are intent on filling the southern hemisphere with smoke, whats the best thing to burn on your wood burner. Don't say wood, I mean what type of wood etc. I have been using that stuff thats made from compressed sawdust but am not to keen so I just wondered what everyone else used. Also you are supposed to leave the door closed on the burner...right?

lardyl

put on my 'kin neighbour who insists on polluting our unit from about 20 feet below when the ambient temperature is a balmy 16C, or putting the ruddy thing onwhen we have washing on the line (this weekend) and it was sunny and warm, ruddy smoking git!!!!!!!
you don't burn MDF do you??
AFIK, Pioneer have some guides on their website - metro or something like that..check em out

Dave-G

Now then Lardyl.

No I don't burn MDF...yet. Doesn't that stuff give you cancer? or is that just a rumour put about by chipboard manufactures?
To get even with your neighbor I suggest rearranging your sewage pipe so it falls on to their house. Ah the beauty of been above someone.

P2L

We've tried pine but burns too quickly, also tried gum but that burns too slow. Gonna try Macrocarpia next as it is meant to give you the best of both

Whatever you use, make sure it has been stored to allow it to dry. If it's 'green' you will be fighting a losing battle whatever you choose.

teambwr47

Wood burners....love em but then i'm a closet pyromaniac according to the wife....

Many often mention on threads here how they have better air quality in NZ but maybe havn't looked at the town and city figures on particulates which are poor for NZ.

If you look into it, many towns and cities here have worse air quality than even some big asian cities where you'd think air quality was horrendous Places like Auckland, Christchurch etc etc regularly fail international recognised measures on air quality in respect of particulates which are very hazardous to health.

The main cause.....yep the obsession here with burning wood in our houses.

Add in the fact NZ is the haven for big car maufacturers to sell new here, cars they are no longer able to be sell elsewhere as they fail emissions tests and air here does not seem so fresh....eh?

Ah well got to go and put another log on the fire.........

P2L

What is it about blokes & fire ??

I know of more than one bloke (mine included) who seems to think that unless they lay in front of it, 'on guard' and stare at it, in between poking the life out of the thing, it won't burn.

Fellas, just light the sodding thing and STEP AWAY!! That way the rest of us might get warm too

teambwr47

Thats just what women will never realise that a fire needs caring for and the 'poking' is a highly technical matter........

The hogging the heat is just an effect of having to care for the fire...

BEVS

We start the fire off with dead flax leaves tied into bows and a few pine cones for snap , crackle and pop . Bank it up right up to the gunnels with pine chopped into kindling. Wait until there is a good heat going and then add the gum before closing the door and shutting off the flue. It gives a good, long, hot burn.

Lenmil

Spot on.

Miss the walks to collect the pine cones to use as firestarters. I learned how to chop firewood and build fires very quickly while i was in NZ. Well you have to don't you.

TeamEmbo

We use paper (junk mail), pine cones and off cuts/kindling to get it going, and a mixture of OMP (old man pine) and Oregon.

When we first got here there was a kind a of unplanned competition to see who could start the fire with the least pine cones and kindling. My OH was winning with 2 bits of paper, 2 pine cones and 1 piece of kindling. Although I did manage to beat that by simply blowing on the dying embers and using one pine cone to get it going again before adding wood, but OH said that doesn't count

Can you tell we were bored and penny pinching when we first moved in?

dlmckay

Dry, dry, dry... ask the people you buy it off if the wood is dry, don't do what I did and assume it will be

Oh well, it'll dry for next year...

If you're penny pinching, check out your local waste transfer station to see if they have wood for free. Waitakere City have this, but it's hit and miss with what may be there. Sometimes good, sometimes not so.

BEVS

That was us. He won by a flax leaf.

These days, following advice from an old Kiwi , he just stuffs the box and sets it going. It sounds like a jet engine roaring to start with but then we don't have to add much else, just the one log or two of gum and that's it. Baked within half an hour and needing to fling open the upstairs windows. !

themeggies

Wood pellet burners are the only way to go,pollution free,ash pan has virtually no thing in it after a week,no messing with wood storage/collection/chopping/lighting/cleaning out and a healthy 11 kw of real heat fan assisted.Cost less this winter for bagged pellets than a friend spent on wood that he had full of bugs and had to store and keep dry.

Yes Dave the door has to be kept closed

lardyl

hehe - just been to tthe odd thatched roof fire where the occupier thought "I'll save money on my wood, lets use that MDF.......hey presto, they found that it was not such a good idea.." Seasoned timber is your friend (as others have said here!!)
as far as the sewers go, mmm.....nice idea but maybe my neighbour on the same level could have an "accident" with effluent in the surface water drain, overnight of course......hohum....

lardyl

I wish my neighbours would take a leaf out of your tree.....erm....book....